Furniture support



Nov. 8, 1938.v A. LOR ENZ AL ,5

FURNITURE SUPPQRT Filed April 20, 1936 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application April 20,

1936, Serial No. 75,355

In Germany April 23, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to furniture supports which bear the seat and reclining parts of a chair on U-shaped cantilever arms.- As a rule, these supports are made of iron or other metals, whereas wooden supports lack the required elasticity and resiliency.

One object of the invention is the construction of wooden supports having the approximate solidity and at the same time the elasticity of steel supports. This is attained by dividing the material of the supports into separate layers at those places, which are to be resilient when the support is bent under load. In this way the layers can slide against each other to a degree suflicient to avoid the danger of breaking, and to allow an extensive elastic sagging. More,- over, according to the invention the material of r the supports consists entirely of single layers,

which are, however, rigidly connected with each other over the whole length of the support except at those places which are to be resilient when being bent under load.

Another object of the invention is a protective device to avoid the pinching of garment-parts. Forthis purpose this device covers the divided parts of the support but allows the pivots of the seat to rest directly upon the resilient supportparts.

Further details of the invention are demonstrated in connection with the drawing, which shows several examples of performing the invention in sitting-furniture. There is shown in the drawing in:

Fig. 1 an arm chair in perspective representation,

Fig. 2 the arm-chair of Fig. 1 in side-view Fig. 3 a modified shape of the support Figs. 4 and 5 two side views of the divided part on an enlarged scale Fig.5 an arm-chair with a support composed of several parts Figs. '7 and 8 a protective cover of the divided ends in side and back view.

The arm-chair according to Fig. 1 consists of the supports I and 2 bent back in U-shaped form, bearing the seat-part 3 by means of the cross-bars 4 and.5. The supports can be manufactured e. g. of repeatedly glued plywood leaves or of synthetic-resin leaves. In the course of manufacture the plates are firmly connected with each other up to the points 8, l. The square, stoutly dimensioned beam is then bent according to known bending methods. The firmly connected layers form a solid girder showing only slight sagging capacity. As the single layers become, however, free from the point B, l onwards, they will give resiliently to a great extent without exceeding the limit of elasticity, if they are vertically loaded because they can slide laterally against each other. The cross bar 5 transmits the load of the seat to the elastic ends 8 and 9, which, consequently, give in the manner shown, in exaggerated representation, in Fig. 2, where it is drawn in broken lines.

Fig. 3 shows a modified embodiment of a support whose layers are connected with each other in the lower parts 9 up to the point In, while from Ha onward they are divided into loose layers II which are slidingly movable against each other. This embodiment is suited for small chairs.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of a sheaf of layers. Between the single loose layers there are placed balls l3, which roll on the plates when the giving or sagging motion sets in, thus reducing to a minimum the friction of the plates among themselves. In order to avoid the wide spaces between the plates caused by the insertion of the balls or rolls respectively, these can also be held in corresponding rolleror ball-bearing surfaces, which can be worked or pressed step-like into the plates; Convexities will thus occur only on the uppermost or lowest plates, causing, however, no disturbance of the bearing members. These rolleror ball-bearing surfaces are not represented in the drawing.

Fig. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of the invention, seen from the side, where elastic plates 25 are inserted between the single layers M, which are connected with the layers it by cementing, glueing or even by lacing. These elastic layers IE will deform when bent, without causing friction.

In the embodiment of- Fig. 6 the support consists of a lower elastic part l6 with the piled layers ll, of a vertical non-elastic stay l8 and of an upper elastic part l9 with the piled layers 20, upon which rests the cross-bar 2i, bearing the back of the seat 22, whose lower front part rests on the cross-bar 23 in the stay Q8. The lower elastic part l6, l! is placed upon the feet 24 and 25 in order to allow a sagging down towards the floor.

According to the arrangement of Figs. 7 and 8 the upper part 20 of the elastic support l'bis covered on the outside by a protective casing 26, which allows the free bending of the layers 20 under'the influence of the load emanating from the cross-bar 25.

The shown embodiments of the invention rep-.-.

resent examples which can be modified in the manner known in the furniture industry.

I The frame shall consist preferably of wood; the invention however, can equally be applied in frames consisting of another material, as: for

' instance artificial substances or synthetic resin.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is:

1. A side support for a chair or the like, comprising a U-shaped structure designed to rest on one of its legs, in which said U-shaped structure with the exception of at least one of the free ends of its legs is solid and said free end is divided into a plurality of leaves slidable on each other, said leaves being integral with the solid portion of said leg and forming a resilient end portion, a part of the chair being supported on the solid portion of the structure, and a part of the chair being supported on the resilient end of the structure.

2. A side support for a chair or the like, com- -prising a U-shaped structure designed to rest ANTON LORENZ. ANDREAS GAAL. 

